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Author Introduction: Paul S. Kemp
Aug. 9th, 2008 11:09 amWell, I'm at Denvention and so far things have been going great. Which means I've gotten no sleep and I've drunk more in the last few days than I probably have all year so far. The sign of a good con. *grin* But today is Saturday and so I figured I'd take a moment--a time out if you will--and post another Author Introduction! This time I've roped in Paul S. Kemp, who writes some of the Forgotten Realms books for Wizards of the Coast, and who happens to be evil. But I'll let him explain:
"First, my thanks to Joshua for allowing me some space on his blog. When I finally meet him in person, the beer/scotch/wine is on me.
And speaking of me.... :-)
I’ve written eight novels (and lots of short stories) for Wizards of the Coast, all of them set in the high fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms. Of course, this makes me a tie-in hack. It’s worse than that, though, because I’m also a corporate lawyer, which makes me evil. Together, this makes me an evil, tie-in hack.
I’m okay with that. And my wife has a forgiving soul. And, at this point, only the really small animals screech and flee my presence. The big ones just snarl.
Shadowstorm (Book 2) [Amazon
, Mysterious Galaxy]
True, I have contributed short stories to a few non-tie-in anthologies (Horrors Beyond II, Worlds of Their Own, and Sails and Sorcery) but I don’t like to mention those because they make me look a little less like a hack.
Anyway, I live and work in Michigan with my wife, our four year old twin sons, and a few cats. Yankee baseball and/or University of Michigan football are on my television often. I drink way too much diet Dew, smoke a few too many cigars (Te-Amo and Dunhill, for those who might want to send gifts or who otherwise wish to placate my wrath), and drink just the right amount of Jamesons (or Glenlivet, if I’m in the mood for Scottish peat).
Almost all of my work in the Forgotten Realms features my signature character, Erevis Cale, an assassin turned priest of the God of Shadows. Most of my fans describe my work as dark and gritty. And yes, I know, those terms are overused a bit these days, but I think they fit so I stick with them. I draw inspiration from Moorcock’s Elric tales, Leiber’s stories of Fafhrd and the Mouser, Gemmell’s work generally, and Brust’s Vlad Taltos tales. Long story short, I write sword and sorcery tales, and I write them proudly, without a nod and a wink, without apology, and with respect for the greats who came before. That means my novels feature larger than life heroes (or anti-heroes, in the case of Erevis Cale), a good deal of action, and a fair amount of magic. That said, I take a great deal of pride in my characterization, which I delude myself into thinking is my strength as a writer. My work is, in a word, fun, both to write and (I hope) to read. Better still, you really don’t need any previous knowledge of the Forgotten Realms to enjoy my stories.
Shadowrealm (Book 3) [Amazon Preorder,Mysterious Galaxy Preorder]
I’ve got two big rules I follow when writing – first, characters drive plots, not vice-versa. That means you’ll find most of my stories to be character-driven tales, not event-driven (though my most recent trilogy, The Twilight War, is as close as I’ve come to event-driven epic fantasy). Second, be fearless and write outside your comfort zone. I don’t actually know what that means in this context, so I’ll just quote Jules from Pulp Fiction and say that it "just sounded like some cool shit to say."
And, really, can you go wrong with a Pulp Fiction/Samuel L. Jackson reference? I think not.
Here’s a list of links to reviews of my work -- http://home.earthlink.net/~paulskemp/paulskempshomepage/id13.html. They’re all positive. I send a cease-and-desist letter to anyone who publishes a negative review –- that’s a side-benefit of being a lawyer who writes.
Anyway, I hope you’ll consider giving my work a shot. If you enjoy fast-paced fantasy tales that work hard at nuanced characterization, you may enjoy my work.
My thanks again to Joshua for renting me some space."
( Paul S. Kemp’s Other Books )
"First, my thanks to Joshua for allowing me some space on his blog. When I finally meet him in person, the beer/scotch/wine is on me.
And speaking of me.... :-)
I’ve written eight novels (and lots of short stories) for Wizards of the Coast, all of them set in the high fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms. Of course, this makes me a tie-in hack. It’s worse than that, though, because I’m also a corporate lawyer, which makes me evil. Together, this makes me an evil, tie-in hack.
I’m okay with that. And my wife has a forgiving soul. And, at this point, only the really small animals screech and flee my presence. The big ones just snarl.
Shadowstorm (Book 2) [Amazon
, Mysterious Galaxy]True, I have contributed short stories to a few non-tie-in anthologies (Horrors Beyond II, Worlds of Their Own, and Sails and Sorcery) but I don’t like to mention those because they make me look a little less like a hack.
Anyway, I live and work in Michigan with my wife, our four year old twin sons, and a few cats. Yankee baseball and/or University of Michigan football are on my television often. I drink way too much diet Dew, smoke a few too many cigars (Te-Amo and Dunhill, for those who might want to send gifts or who otherwise wish to placate my wrath), and drink just the right amount of Jamesons (or Glenlivet, if I’m in the mood for Scottish peat).
Almost all of my work in the Forgotten Realms features my signature character, Erevis Cale, an assassin turned priest of the God of Shadows. Most of my fans describe my work as dark and gritty. And yes, I know, those terms are overused a bit these days, but I think they fit so I stick with them. I draw inspiration from Moorcock’s Elric tales, Leiber’s stories of Fafhrd and the Mouser, Gemmell’s work generally, and Brust’s Vlad Taltos tales. Long story short, I write sword and sorcery tales, and I write them proudly, without a nod and a wink, without apology, and with respect for the greats who came before. That means my novels feature larger than life heroes (or anti-heroes, in the case of Erevis Cale), a good deal of action, and a fair amount of magic. That said, I take a great deal of pride in my characterization, which I delude myself into thinking is my strength as a writer. My work is, in a word, fun, both to write and (I hope) to read. Better still, you really don’t need any previous knowledge of the Forgotten Realms to enjoy my stories.
Shadowrealm (Book 3) [Amazon Preorder
,Mysterious Galaxy Preorder]I’ve got two big rules I follow when writing – first, characters drive plots, not vice-versa. That means you’ll find most of my stories to be character-driven tales, not event-driven (though my most recent trilogy, The Twilight War, is as close as I’ve come to event-driven epic fantasy). Second, be fearless and write outside your comfort zone. I don’t actually know what that means in this context, so I’ll just quote Jules from Pulp Fiction and say that it "just sounded like some cool shit to say."
And, really, can you go wrong with a Pulp Fiction/Samuel L. Jackson reference? I think not.
Here’s a list of links to reviews of my work -- http://home.earthlink.net/~paulskemp/paulskempshomepage/id13.html. They’re all positive. I send a cease-and-desist letter to anyone who publishes a negative review –- that’s a side-benefit of being a lawyer who writes.
Anyway, I hope you’ll consider giving my work a shot. If you enjoy fast-paced fantasy tales that work hard at nuanced characterization, you may enjoy my work.
My thanks again to Joshua for renting me some space."
( Paul S. Kemp’s Other Books )
